# TV shows with final episodes that completed the story line **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [March 19, 2022, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361 "2022-03-19T22:31:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/1 "2022-03-19T22:31:45Z")
No limited-run or mini-series please. I’m looking for shows with finales that resolve major issues enough to let viewers know that the series is over. For example, I remember a show I watched from first episode to last back when I was a youngster-_Hank_ > **[Hank (1965 TV series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_(1965_TV_series))** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Hank is a 1965 American television sitcom that starred Dick Kallman in the title role. The show is a notable early example of a program with a true series finale,\[better source needed\] in which the underlying premise of the series reaches a natural conclusion with its final episode.\[better source needed\] > The show, which aired on NBC in 1965, revolves around a pair of orphans. In both the unaired pilot and first episode, Hank Dearborn is explained... Teenager tries to get through college by impersonating students he knew would be absent. In the finale, the college Registrar finds out about the scam, somehow the protagonist gets to take an exam and aces it…and is awarded a full scholarship. The premise of the show is moot, and done. Any others? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/2 "2022-03-19T22:51:53Z")
I remember watching the final episode of this show when I was ten: > **[The Cara Williams Show](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cara_Williams_Show)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > The Cara Williams Show is an American situation comedy starring Cara Williams which centers on a married couple who try to conceal their marriage from their employer. Original episodes aired from September 23, 1964, until April 21, 1965 on CBS. > Cara and Frank Bridges were both divorced and co-workers at Fenwick Diversified Industries, Inc. — where Cara is a file clerk and Frank holds a management position as an efficiency expert — when they met, ... As I recall, it wasn’t just Cara and Frank who got to keep their jobs. The “no married couples” policy was abandoned, and it turned out that a lot of the employees already were married to one another. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/3 "2022-03-19T23:15:17Z")
The final episode of _The Americans_ definitely fits. I’ll spoiler it in case anyone hasn’t seen it and wants to. Phillip and Elizabeth are discovered by the FBI and flee to the Soviet Union. Paige initially goes with them, but at the last minute changes her mind and remains it the US. Their days as KGB spies are pretty clearly over. ETA: _Star Trek Voyager_. (I think 20 years is beyond the statute of limitations for spoilers). Voyager gets back to the Alfa Quadrant. That pretty much wraps up the storyline of them trying to get home. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/4 "2022-03-19T23:51:59Z")
Six Feet Under on HBO not only tied up the existing storyline in the final episode it also showed how each character died in the future. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/5 "2022-03-20T00:20:28Z")
Mad About You had a great finale which had Mabel Buckman (Paul and Jamie’s daughter) in college as a film student. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/6 "2022-03-20T00:26:45Z")
_Blake’s 7_ definitely ended fairly decisively, if not satisfactorily, _Babylon 5_ was intended to have a beginning, middle., and an end. The kerfuffle over the 5th season altered things, but I’d say most major storylines concluded. _MASH_ of course. _The Fugitive_ (original version) ended conclusively (one of the first shows to do so?). _Alias_? _Fringe_? (I think they mostly ended but could be misremembering.) _How I Met Your Mother_ did answer the premise. Brian ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/7 "2022-03-20T00:27:26Z")
No one has mentioned MASH yet? The final episode was kinda popular… (DRAT missed by a minute) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/8 "2022-03-20T00:57:28Z")
The sitcom Wings ran for 8 seasons from 1990 to 1997. The first episode centered on two reunited brothers searching for a presumed fortune that their father had left them. What they found was an empty suitcase.The finale, a two part episode followed up on that search 8 years later when a second suitcase was discovered that contained a large sum of money. Enough money to resolve the economic problems faced by the primary characters. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/9 "2022-03-20T01:00:58Z")
IIRC correctly it also had the irresponsible brother finally acting like an adult and taking control of Sandpiper so his responsible brother could be the one to have fun. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/10 "2022-03-20T01:04:43Z")
I thought Vince Gilligan did a nice job of wrapping things up in the final episode of Breaking Bad. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/11 "2022-03-20T01:19:00Z")
Yes. I’m not quite clear on it, but I recall Joe (responsible brother) going away with his wife Helen who finally got a job as a cellist. The money enabled them to do this and leave Sandpiper financially intact enough to stay in business while Brian (irresponsible brother) would stay in Nantucket to run it. . ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/12 "2022-03-20T01:20:41Z")
The Wonder years. Kevin goes over his life, who he marries, what happened to his family, etc. A lot of people don’t like the ending, but when you accept what happened the final episode of the Sopranos had some good finale. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/13 "2022-03-20T01:20:52Z")
In _The King of Queens_ Doug and Carrie are on the verge of divorce because Carrie rented an apartment in Manhattan so she wouldn’t have to commute to her job during the week. . Carrie had tried to get pregnant for many years and finally the Heffernans applied to adopt an infant from China. The adoption is approved, but Doug and Carrie have to fly to Beijing to pick it up. They both get on the same plane, each intending to adopt the baby for themself. They resolve their differences on the flight and bring the infant home together. Carrie then learns she is pregnant. The episode fast forwards a year and shows Doug and Carrie taking care of their two children. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/14 "2022-03-20T01:30:32Z")
_Pushing Daisies_ was cancelled partway through its second season; after it was cancelled, the production team filmed a short “conclusion” segment, which aired at the end of what turned out to be the final episode, and which wrapped up (more or less) the plotlines for each of the major characters. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/15 "2022-03-20T02:00:16Z")
**I Married Dora** - was cancelled during the first season, and this is how they concluded the final episode. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/VvVR99yafr8/hqdefault.jpg ""I Married Dora" Unexpected Closing Scene from Series Finale") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvVR99yafr8) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/16 "2022-03-20T02:04:59Z")
Didn’t David Janssen finally catch **The One-Armed Man**? ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/17 "2022-03-20T02:20:44Z")
_Babylon 5_ is the most obvious example, but it’s hard to explain without giving away one major plot point or another. “Babylon 5 was the last of the Babylon stations. There would never be another. It changed the future… and it changed us. It taught us that we have to create the future… or others will do it for us. It showed us that we have to care for one another, because if we don’t, who will? And that true strength sometimes comes from the most unlikely places. Mostly, though, I think it gave us hope… that there can always be new beginnings… even for people like us.” ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/18 "2022-03-20T02:37:50Z")
Am I invisible? I mentioned B5 and The Fugitive Brian ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/19 "2022-03-20T03:32:26Z")
IIRC, Kimball had him cornered at the top of a water tower. A fight ensued, and Lt Girard shot said Man from long range with a rifle before he could kill Kimball. And “The long nightmare of Richard Kimball” was “finally over.” At least, that’s how I remember it from 50+ years ago. I always thought it was funny how Girard came to believe Kimball was innocent just in time for the finale. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361/20 "2022-03-20T03:42:50Z")
Nobody’s mentioned _ **Cheers!** _ yet? That show was wrapped up pretty well. So were _ **Frasier** _ and _ **Monk** _. _ **The Farmer’s Daughter** _ ended with Katy adopting Congressman Morley’s sons. _ **The Dick Van Dyke Show** _ ended with an episode fittingly titled “The Last Chapter.” And the whole team at WJM (except for Ted) were fired in the last episode of _ **The Mary Tyler Moore Show** _. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-final-episodes-that-completed-the-story-line/961361.md?page=2)